Author Archives: librarian

New Evidence Based Practice resources available from the library

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Evidence based practice – access for NHS and Higher Education across Scotland

We are delighted to announce that a range of clinical evidence summary resources are now available here at GCU until 6th July 2016. These resources combine support for direct patient care and for education, through evidence-based and problem-based approaches to learning about best clinical practice, and linking quick guidance to deeper knowledge for self-directed study.

Selection of these resources (procured via tender by NHS Education for Scotland) is based on extensive consultation with practitioners and a rigorous evaluation process which considered scope, access and usability, delivery channels, evidence-based methodology, and design for education. Continue reading →

Legacy version of GCU Harvard on RefWorks

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The Library no longer supports or updates the GCU Harvard (also known as School of Health Harvard) output style on RefWorks due to multiple versions being in use throughout the university. However, a legacy version of GCU Harvard is still available for those who wish to use it. Instructions for adding GCU Harvard (Legacy version) are given below.

The instructions below show you how to use the Output Style Manager to add the legacy version of GCU Harvard to your output style favourites list in RefWorks. Alternatively you may want to find out more about the new Harvard British Standard Referencing Guidelines available from the library.

To add GCU Harvard (Legacy version – no longer updated or supported) to your Output Style favourites:

1. Visit the Bibliography menu and select Output Style Manager.

2. The Output Style Manager will open.

RefWorks Output Image 13. The List of Output Styles in the left-hand column shows all of the output styles available in RefWorks.  The right-hand column shows the styles which will show in your list of favourites.

4.  Search for GCU Harvard using the Search box. You will be offered GCU Harvard Legacy version (no longer updated or supported), you can “move” this style into your Favorites list by selecting the style name in the left-hand column and clicking on the Add to Favorites green arrow icon.

Picture 2

 

Picture 35. You can remove a style from your Favorites by selecting the style and clicking on the Remove from Favorites green arrow icon .  You can remove all styles in your Favorites by just clicking on the Remove All button.

6. Close the Output Style Manager to return to your previous page.

 

Need further help? Contact your librarian.

Harvard referencing – new guidance

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Harvard Guidelines CoverThe academic librarians have created guidance for Harvard referencing based on the current British Standard (BS ISO 690:2010).  Our web pages have comprehensive guidance and examples of widely used sources of digital and print information.  You can download the full guide as a PDF  or use the quick links on the web site for specific examples.

We have followed the style of references in the current standard (BS ISO 690:2010) to create our Harvard guide but students should check their module handbook or with their lecturer for the style they are required to use.  The library also provides links and support for other referencing conventions.

If the type of material you want to reference is not included in our guidance or if you want to suggest we cover another referencing style please let us know and we will consider  this for  future guidance.

The library website is the authoritative source for the current guide.  We will review the guide annually to include any required changes and to reflect the current British Standard.

Users of RefWorks should choose the Harvard British Standard 2010 output style which is consistent with our guide. The Library will no longer support or update the GCU Harvard (also known as School of Health Harvard) output style on RefWorks due to multiple versions being in use throughout the university. However, a legacy version of GCU Harvard will still be available for those who wish to use it. Instructions for adding GCU Harvard to your favourites in RefWorks are available here.

Please contact your academic librarian for help or to give feedback on these changes.

Research impact and journal quality

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There are a number of measures used for journal quality, article impact and assessing your personal research output.

You may find lists of quality journals designated by experts in particular fields.  For example, the Association of Business Schools (ABS) publishes a guide on journal quality which uses citation data, peer review and expert opinion to provide a list of academic journal titles for management and business researchers.   Thomson Reuters publishes annual Journal Citation Reports (JCR) which provide impact factors and quality rankings for academic journals.  The library provides access to the current JCR Social Sciences and JCR Science editions (log in with your Domain username and password).

Altmetric provide article level metrics to researchers.  They collect data on citations within social media sites, government papers and newspapers as alternative counts to the academic data in JCR mentioned above.  There is a free bookmarklet for researchers.

In 1995, Jorge E. Hirsch proposed the H-index as a measure of the output of individual researchers.  This is still used widely within academia (and you will find many articles discussing it).  Google Scholar provides H-index measures for articles and scholars.  See their metrics pages for details.  You can also find or calculate your own H-index using Journal Citation Reports or Google Scholar.

The academic librarians are here to support you in your research and can offer tailored workshops for groups or one-to-one support.  Please contact us if you want to follow up on anything or if you want to arrange an appointment.  See our contact details.

References

HIRSCH, J. E., 2005. An index to Quantify an Individual’s Scientific Research Output. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,  102(46) pp. 16569-16572.

Connecting to Refworks

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The way to connect to electronic resources has changed.  This post explains the new process to connect to your Refworks account.

To connect to your Refworks account, choose Refworks from the database A-Z  or from the Refworks quick link at the bottom of the library home page.  You will be prompted to log in with your Domain username and password.

You may occasionally connect to your account from the Refworks home page.  To do this Continue reading →